Systems see mixed results in school stats

Saturday

Jan 12, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The latest round of school statistics brought the typical results: Of the three school systems in Davidson County, some went up, and others went down compared to the previous year. These statistics concerned the school dropout rate, a figure watched closely not only by education leaders but businessmen and politicians, and also school violence. Some of the results garnered more attention than others.

The latest round of school statistics brought the typical results: Of the three school systems in Davidson County, some went up, and others went down compared to the previous year. These statistics concerned the school dropout rate, a figure watched closely not only by education leaders but businessmen and politicians, and also school violence. Some of the results garnered more attention than others.Thomasville City Schools received some unwanted focus for its dropout rate, which despite falling to 5.28 percent still ranked as one of the highest 10 rates in the state. Clearly the system needs to refocus its efforts, perhaps learning from Lexington City Schools, which received praise from the state for lowering its rate to 3.90 percent and also reducing short-term suspensions. Davidson County Schools saw a large jump in crime incidents, from 161 to 223, although administrators seemed to question the numbers. Safety remains a priority, especially in light of the tragic shooting last month in Newtown, Conn.The average citizen may not be too interested in wastewater issues, but the dispute between Davidson County and High Point poses some interesting questions. High Point has challenged a county decision that limited the capacity of High Point's Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant, which sits in Davidson County. High Point believes the county overstepped its bounds with some of the conditions it placed on a special use zoning permit for expansion of the plant. A court will make the final ruling, but it seems appropriate for the commissioners to set rules on a structure within the county, especially when it could affect water quality.The cat and mouse game between sweepstakes businesses and the state continues. After a court decision banned sweepstakes games, many businesses offering them closed — but only temporarily. Now they're back open with software changes to computers that owners say comply with the state law. The next step will come from law enforcement and judicial authorities to decide if indeed the changes are legitimate. Stay tuned.Good news continues to come for Wake Forest Baptist Health — Lexington Medical Center. The hospital will hold an open house Sunday for its new rehabilitation services department. It also learned this week it received conditional state approval to expand its emergency department and add a CT scanner. Plus, the hospital announced the appointment of its first chief medical officer. The expansions to the physical plant mean more effective services offered to patients, who can find many more services available locally now without having to travel to larger cities.